‘Australia’s Got Talent’ Imports New Judge, Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris, the multi-hyphenate American entertainer, was named by Australia’s Channel 7 network this week as one of the new members of the judging panel for the upcoming season of Australia’s Got Talent.
Soon after landing in Australia, Harris tweeted “Spending my birthday quarantining in Australia with my family. Tight Quarters, but TBH, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Spending my birthday quarantining in Australia with my family. Tight quarters, but TBH, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. 48 is gonna rock.
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) June 15, 2021
Harris joins Alesha Dixon, Shane Jacobsen and Kate Ritchie on the newly re-vamped panel for the upcoming season, which begins production at the end of June.
The show will air later this year on Channel 7 and 7 Plus. Jonathon Summerhayes, the Director of Unscripted Television for Fremantle Australia, said they were “delighted to welcome this megastar judging panel to AGT.”
Coming Out
Harris, who rose to prominence in the US as the titular character in Doogie Howser, M.D., made news when he came out publicly as gay in November 2006. The news, rather than harming his career, seemed to propel the actor to greater heights of success; particularly after being cast as the woman-hungry Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, for which the actor received 4 Emmy nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
The actor gained a widespread recognition for his versatility after appearing in numerous Broadway productions, perhaps most notably as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in A Musical in 2014.
Harris, released a statement saying: “To say I’m a fan of the AGT franchise is an understatement – I’ve been watching since the very first season. I’m a performer who has taken many stages throughout the, well, many stages of my career – be it acting, singing, dancing, hosting, juggling, magic-ing, even breathing fire and I have developed enormous respect for anyone with the courage to pursue their talents and passions at any level, let alone televised on a national stage. Australia has phenomenal talent across so many disciplines and I couldn’t be more thrilled to join AGT in 2021 to see firsthand what the country’s awesome contestants have to offer.”
Harris’ professional dance card is full-to-bursting with roles in the upcoming Matrix 4 and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, as well as being the author of a series of books for young adults, The Magic Misfits.
